Monday, 23 January 2012

BY JOHN B. THAWITE 20.01.2012A killer crocodile, weighing about 1,000 kg and linked to the deaths of three people and a calf in the last three years has been captured in Kasese district.The Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area manager, Nelson Guma, said the reptile, aged about 45, weighing some 800 kg, measuring 4.1 metres long and 0.65 metres wide, was captured on Friday afternoon around the shores of lake Edward.“It could be the one that has been attacking the residents of Katwe/Kabatooro Town Council,’ Guma told Sunday Vision.The croc is suspected have killed and mauled a 15-year-old child, Joshua Tugume of Rwenjubu cell, Katwe/Kabatooro Town Council, around Christmas as he and his four friends were bathing in the lake.

Joshua Tugume was in P.3 last year at Katwe Boarding Primary School in Katwe/Kabatooro Town Council.

Since Tugume’s death, the UWA staff had been surveilling the animal.

“Our staff in Queen Elizabeth National Park, backed by our headquarters staff, captured it this afternoon,'' Guma told Sunday vision Friday evening.Guma said a wound was found on the reptile, compelling him and his staff to transport it to a holding facility in Entebbe on Friday night to avoid do so during the day when it is hot.

He said it would be treated and relocated to Murchison National Park, where there are not communities living around. “This is our first step to reduce the threat. Next month, we shall start fencing off some water points around lakes Edward and George to enable the people and their livestock there to safely access the water,” Guma said.John Fisher Beinomugisha, who led the operation, told Sunday Vision Friday evening that the croc was captured around Rwenjubu village on the shores of lake Edward, at 4.00 p.m.Beinomugisha said the croc might have been wounded while trying to attack hippos in the lake. “We had laid a wire trap tied to a strong a floating log and baited with lungs of a cow. So when the crocodile tried to eat the cow lungs, its jaws were trapped,” he said.He said the UWA staff then pounced on it, blind-folding it with a thick piece of cloth and each ranger then grabbing and tying a different part of its powerful body with a strong rope, subduing it before whisking it away on an UWA track.

Attacks by crocodiles in Katwe/Kabatooro Town Council

Sept 2009: Matovu Razak, a boy of 12 years of age, pupil of Katwe primary four was attacked and killed while fetching waterDec 2010: Byaruhanga James, fisherman from Kakoni was attacked while checking his fishing nets. He survived with minor injuriesJan 2011: Mbambu Jonice, 13 year old girl, was attacked and killed while washing clothesDec 2011: Mrs. Mazinga, resident of Kakoni, survived a crocodile attack while washing utensils Dec 2011: Joshua Tugume, a P.3 Katwe Boarding Primary School pupil in Katwe/Kabatooro Town Council, is attacked and killed

Thursday, 19 January 2012

A would-be hand-over ceremony at Rwenzori High School, Kasese district, turned dramatic when the school Board of Governors blocked the newly posted headteacher from taking it over.

Mr Mohamed Ssenambi Matembe had reported to the school January 18 to take over from the school’s out-going Headteacher, Mr Siraj Ssenyunja, who has also been transferred to Mpigi district.

The function, held at the school compass, was chaired by Board of Governors chairperson, John Thawite, who is also the Kasese District Information Officer, Kasese.

Thawite said that the board was reluctant to hand over the school to the new head teacher saying there was some issues about Muhamed Ssenambi Matembe that needed to be clarified first before he can be accepted to the school.

The board later appointed Joseph Mweru as a caretaker of the school until there is farther advice about the issue by the ministry of education.

Mweru pledged to work with the stakeholders of the school to lead the school to the desired destination.

Members of the Board also cast doubt on the hand over report of the out-going head teacher, demanding further scrutiny of the creditors and debtors of the school.

In his hand over report, Ssenyunja had indicated that the school was indebted with more than Shs90,000,000.

Ssenyunja disappeared soon after reading his handover report, which the BOG found very lacking but reluctantly received it with the comments to avoid delaying the operations of the school, which re-opens for first term at the end of january.He left purportedly to pick bring grounded school lorry keys, the log book and the school cheque books, taking the office keys and the school stamp with him.He immidately disapperaed and efforts to trace him both physically and on pohne were futile because he had switched off.“As we ended our meeting, some of the teachers and support staff at the school reported to us that they had grabbed the office keys from one of the youth who have been living with Ssenyunja at the school, as the youth tried to figdet with the office door,” Thawite said January 19.

Source at the school said Mr Ssenyunja later re-appeared at the school around 7.00 p.m and left after 8.00 p.m, taking away the people who were living with him and some personal items. Speaking at the hand-over function the acting District Education Officer Kasese George Mainja, challenged the newly transferred head teachers to make sure they present proper and acceptable hand over reports before they can fully be accepted to their new stations.

Some prominent members of the community including the Foundation Body chairperson, Cosntantine Mbiwa, his Vice, Nason Bukombi, the Vice chairperson of the Parents and Teachers’ Association, Enos Mutheya and the LC I chairperson Ibanda II village, Tom Bwakere witnessed the hand-over.

The agency, Safe Mothers, Safe Babies/We care Sola Suitcase Programme, operating in Iganga district, donated the equipment through Luhwahwa Youth Development Foundation (LUYODEFO).The equipment comprises a 60-watt sola panel, 2 long-life batteries each 12 volts, a phone charger capable of handling 8 phones and a spot light. LUYODEFO Director, Samuel Ndungo, delivered the solar kit last week from Jacqueline Cutts, thee agency’s founder and Chief Executive Officer, to the acting District Health Officer, Dr Yusuf Baseka. Ndungo told this reporter that besides providing support to marginalised communities across Kasese district, his orgnaisation also provides re-usable sanitary pads, health education and counselling to the youth in 4 primary schools in Kisinga Subcounty.“Our aim is to improve menstrual health and academic success among female pupils in the area,” Ndungo said at the weekend.Nyabirongo Health centre III, located in Kisinga subcounty has been a centre of controversy as the surrounding community has often shunned it for its unpalatable services.Recently, patients and the residents cleared a bush that engulfing the facility.

Kasese district will hold this year’s national celebrations of the army day, commonly known as Tarehe Sita, on 6th February.Tarehe Sita is the day when the National Resistance Army (NRA), now the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces or UPDF and the national Resistance Movement (NRM), launched armed offensive on 6th February, 1981, which finally ousted the last UPC regime led by the late President Apollo Milton Obote. “The UPDF will use the casino to renew our commitment to the country’s defence and security,” army spokesperson Lt Col Felix Kulayigye said while confirming that the day will be marked in Kasese.

He told this reporter the army will carry out various activities including immunization of pregnant women, children and distribution of mosquito nets to the aged in various parts of the country.

Kasese district chairperson retired Lt Col Mawa Muhindo, said the selection of Kasese for the day was welcome given the unique role the Rwenzori region played in the NRA/NRM liberation struggle.“Kasese and the Rwenzori region have a significant historical relationship with the NRM because the NRA/NRM used the area as a springboard to takeover power,” Mawa said.Meanwhile preparations are under way for the district to join the rest of the country in marking the 26th NRM anniversary.The district function will take place in Kyondo subcounty.Recently, the Information and Guidance Minister, Mary Karoro Okurut, said the day will be marked under the theme, “Uganda the Land of Opportunities: NRM’s Contribution During the last half of the 50 Years of Uganda’s Independence.” (The writer is the Kasese District Information Officer and Focal Person of the E-Society Resource Centre)

RWENZORI HIGH SCHOOL BOARD TEMPORARILY BLOCKS BANK WITHDRAWALS The new Board of Governors OF Rwenzori High School has instructed the school banks in Kasese town to block the school accounts from anyone wishing to withdraw money on behalf of the school until the Board issues contrary instructions.

In a press a press statement sent to the media Sunday, the new Board Chairperson, John Thawite, however, advised the banks to continue receiving deposits.

Thawite said the move had been occasioned by the discovery of irregularities in the school’s financial transactions.

An investigation instituted by the Board late last year unearthed various instances of financial mismanagement in the school and is following up those involved.

Meanwhile, the Board has directed all the current students of S.4 and S.6 to compensate for the property they destroyed during the strike they staged in September last year.

The students, who were in S.3 and S.5 last year, were involved in a strike in September destroying school property worth millions of shillings.

At a Board meeting held in December, the Board resolved that each of these students must pay Shs10,000(Ten thousand Uganda shillings only) before they are re-admitted for Term One due to start at the end of this month.

Thawite advised all the parents and guardians to pay all school dues in the banks.

He assured that the outgoing school Headteacher was still accountable for the money collected from the students who were involved in the first strike in June last year.

He urged the parents, the students and other stakeholders of Rwenzori High School to support the new Board and the new Headteacher in bringing sanity and academic excellence to the school.

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

BRAVO, RWECO you are establishing more ESRCs in the rest of the Rwenzori region after Kasese district ("Shs 300m earmarked for ICT in Rwenzori"- The Observer).

We in Kasese are very proud to have piloted the E-Society initiative by RWECO.

Thanks also to Mr Muhwezi for his article.

However I wish to comment the impression that could be created by some parts of Mr Muhwezi's article, namely:

"...district information officer, John Thawite, is expected to coordinate the district information... "

and "...has an office at the e-society centre,"

Our partners need to be clear on the following:

The facility is part of Kasese District Local Government; it is not a time-bound project.

The information officer co-ordinates the information for the website and the E-Library (NOT expected) which resources are technically managed by ICT staff attached to the facility by RWECO/RICNET

The Information Officer doesn't just have an office there; it is integral to the Information Office. The facility is hosted in the Education Department block because there was little space in the District Information Office room at the time of installing the equipment at the district headquarters in December 2009.If we do not look at donor-supported as our own, we risk failing to sustain them; we may end up looking at such facilities as property of the donors.

Visiting the Rwenzururu king, Charles Wesley Mumbere, the Irema-Ngoma in Kasese Municipality January 4, the proprietors said their paper's main target was to convey positive image of the Rwenzori region by objectively covering events and issues that affect everyone.

They requested the Omusinga to be an ambassador for the young publication by lobbying cooperate companies to advertise in the publications

The Irema-Ngoma commended the media in the Rwenzori region for mobilising for and promotion the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu.

"The media was very influential in mobilsing support for our kingdom struggle until it was finally recognized by the government," Mumbere said.

Mumbere urged the newspaper publishers to withstand all the likely challenges and to aspire for ethical and balanced reporting if they are to win the local and international readership.